Walt Disney Company Confirms SOAPnet's Bubble Has Burst! Channel Ends Its Run December 31!

This has not been the start of a good week for soap fans, first with the seeming demise of All My Children for a second time, and now with the Walt Disney Company confirming that the reports that SOAPnet is coming to a close or real this time … are accurate!

In a piece with the Los Angeles Times, “The Walt Disney Company will pull the plug on the cable channel it created 14 years ago on December 31st. Disney announced three years ago its plan to fold SOAPnet to make space for Disney Junior, a channel for toddlers. That channel launched in early 2012, but cable and satellite TV operators weren’t ready to give up SOAPnet. They didn’t want to risk legions of vocal soap opera fans getting into a lather, or worse, moving to a rival service. So, for nearly two years, the Burbank entertainment giant has provided programming for both channels, including the one it doomed long ago.”

“SOAPnet had a great run,” Ben Pyne, president of global distribution for Disney Media Networks, said in an interview this past Friday. “It served an audience of super-soap fans. And when given the opportunity, all of our affiliates kept the channel up and running.” In the end, SOAPnet was a casualty of a shift in corporate priorities for Disney — and technology.

SOAPnet is still available in 66 million homes. But in recent months, Disney has notified cable operators that it will no longer provide programming for the channel after Dec. 31. The company stopped charging distributors a fee for SOAPnet months ago, as programming on the channel dwindled and programmers focused more attention on Disney Junior.”

Fans please note that Time Warner, Cox, Charter, AT&T U-verse, Comcast other cable outlets may have different date ending in December of when they will cease SOAPnet.

So, what do you think of the news of the end of SOAPnet? Will you thus watch General Hospital and Days of our Lives, the last two remaining soaps on the cable channel, online if you miss them on television? Do you want the two soaps to end up on TVGN and join The Young and the Restless for a soap programming block? Weigh in with your suggestions and your thoughts on the end of an era for soap viewers!

Don’t think I’ve ever watched soapnet. When I had cable, my lineup didn’t include it, and since I can watch GH on the other 3 places, I don’t bother with soapnet.com… but I wouldn’t be opposed to some other company coming up with an online soap viewing channel, with all our soaps new and old to watch on it.

Well thank u so much for screwing me again. I boycotted and when u took amc and oltl. I watch v. Mars oath and 90210 every day and I watch all day sat and sometimes sun. So I say soap is my main channel. Oh and I love 90210 on Sunday night’s but what do u care? I don’t get that techie channel either and I don’t have a computer rather. I’m so mad and there’s nothing I can do again.

One of the reasons I chose to get Dish was because of the Soap channel.
I never thought in my wildest dreams that some ***** would take it off the air
I love the fact that I could use my Dish recorder and tape the show anytime I wanted. Really! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! Another Disney channel!!! I don’t even have kids at home anymore why in the HELL! would I want to watch another Disney channel.
Viewers will find other options, who want to sit at their computer to watch a TV shows, I want the comforts of my recliner to watch my favs
BRING BACK THE SOAP CHANNEL, YOU WILL BE SORRY, YOU HAVE MADE A BIG MISTAKE!

Yes, put them on tvgn!!! Sometimes i miss an episode or like to watch certain episodes over…im suprised abc didnt replace soapnet with a talk show channel…lol. Anyway, do toddlers really need a 24hr channel of there own…kids in our families barely watched tv when they were toddlers…i myself started when i was like 4 with Captain Kangaroo and even Peyton Place believe it or not!!!

I think it is unfair! Too catch up on current soaps or the ones that have left us. Where do we go from here? I am a HUGE fan of As The World Turns and I have yet too see it. Since the day it went off the air! Totally missing my soap!

My primary viewing of Soapnet has been watching the 3 episodes of All MY Children each night. We are currently in the Charles Pratt years about 2009….some storylines were not my favs (Like Stuart dying last week)…but the acting of some of the exceptional actors on AMC keeps me riveted. Recently we saw David tortured playing of the Chopin on his piano as he lamented that Stuart should not have died, a conflict between Tad and David, an almost despondent Adam suffering after losing his dear Stuart, the always protective Zack watching out for his dear Ian and the quirky, sweet Opal caring for so many in PV. I love this show!! Have watched it for the full 41 years. Ironically I am not a huge tv fan, but the characters and excellent actors of AMC are a joy to watch. Few people never perfected their acting skill — CM. Overall, the many actors are excellent. Was hoping it would continue even longer,however this extra few years of soapnet time was a blessing.
Also enjoy the weekend showings of Brothers & Sisters. As to initial question, since GH and DOOL are on during the day people can enjoy or record them then.

If you get the chance, watch All MY children before it is removed from another venue.

I can’t believe there is not a strong market for today’s daytime dramas as well as watching classic episodes of shows millions of people grew up with and watched with parents or grandparents as well as aunts and uncles,don’t forget people who gather with friends and classmates to watch in recreational rooms on college campuses.

There will a lot of upset and disappointed people if SOAPNET is cancelled. A lot of people cant watch their shows during the day ,so nights on SOAPNET work out perfectly. Now that’s ending? There will be a lot less viewers that’s for sure!! Maybe they can join Y&R on TVGN? Hate to see all these changes.

I always wondered by Y&R and B&B went to TVGN not realizing that CBS owns part or all of TVGN. It will boost their ratings if all are on the same channel but what about the “classic” AMC, GH and OLTL that began at midnight and ran into the early morning. I have not missed an episode of those as well on Soapnet and also re-watched the daytime episode of GH at night. Now TV won’t be the same. I did began to watch TVGN soaps just recently to see if I can get into them since alot of my characters went to those soaps. Soapnet sure ruined soap viewers New Year 🙁

If TVGN is willing to pick it up, it would be great to have all the soaps there at night. Sometimes NBC News interrupts Days of our Lives. When that would happen, I could always see the full episode on Soapnet. Sometimes I would watch Soapnet just to see the episode again. So if TVGN would fill the void about to be left by Soapnet, that would be a good thing.

SoapNET is great because they never get interrupted for breaking news the way ABC does. And as silly as it sounds, I LOVE the promos on SoapNET-they don’t take our soaps too seriously, but they don’t diminish their importance to many of us either.

I am just very saddened that soap genre is slowing coming to an end. I also don’t understand why AMC was cancelled after it was renewed for a second season, as we have heard nothing from PP yet. Was it lack of money? Very sad, because, yet again, so many are disappointed. It seems to be a habit and now I am just use to it. Will miss AMC. It was an excellent soap!

I’ll watch whatever cable channel that may air them at night but I suspect I’ll have to watch GH on the internet. One thing I can say with AMC and OLTL airing on the internet, I got use to having to do that.

The evil mouse strikes again. Thank you Michael for the background information. I wondered why it was still around since I started hearing that the mouse was pulling it at least 3 years ago.

I hope this clarifies the situation for those who were unsure. The mouse company, which is the parent company of the alphabet network, wants nothing to do with daytime serialized programs. They have no respect for or gratitude to the millions of loyal viewer who made billions of dollars for them by supporting AMC, OLTL and GH. That is a fact I always remember when making choices concerning my television and motion picture viewing. I will not give those people one second of my time or one penny of my money.
I know I’m a nobody; but, I prefer to support companies that don’t go out of their way to treat me like dirt.

General Hospital Comcast has on the on demand. Would be nice though to have them all on TVGN. As it is I watch Young and the Restless and Bold and the Beautiful online. Fortunately they put in a tv in the lunchroom where I work and it is set to NBC and 1pm has been my lunch time..so it is very nice and I also have fellow employees watching. I do watch it again though at night.

I am surprised that Soapnet lasted this long and part of the article is wrong as Comcast Cable replaced Soapnet with Disney Jr a couple of months after ABC cancelled One Life To Live.As far as Katie Couric her program is not on the local ABC Station here in Sacramento Ca but its on the local NBC Station.

To everyone who wants to stop watching ABC altogether, please don’t stop watching GH. I don’t want to lose that too. Plus that helps the soap destroyers win, so don’t do it!

As far as PP is concerned, I took the loss of OLTL very hard when ABC cancelled. I watched on HULU, but it wasn’t the same. I wish PP had left it alone, because then I could still see some OLTL storylines on GH, and maybe even Erika Slezak sometimes. It’s a real treat to watch Roger Howarth on GH though. He cracks me up!

Losing SoapNet will mean a big deal to me, because if I miss General Hosp, I can watch it later on SoapNet. I do not have DVR so cannot DVR my soap if I am not home to see it. I do believe GH is online now so maybe I can watch it there. I do not understand why Disney needs to put another channel – Disney Jr – on TV for children. Most children are either online playing games somewhere or outside playing games. I do not see the need for another channel for children – and will be surprised if it survives. We do have the need for SoapNet…… and it will be missed by a lot of ppl as there are other shows besides soaps on that network. Thanks, Michael Fairman, for advising us of this pending cancellation of SoapNet in December. Another of my fav channels gone down the drain!!!!!! Do you watch any soaps, and if you do, what are your favorites? Thanks again!!!!!! Take care!!!!!!

I have Comcast and they did take Soapnet off their lineup 3 years ago. GH is available on demand but not in HD and you can’t ffwd commercials, so I watch or DVR it from the ABC channel. I’ve missed the Soapnet days but at least now I won’t be jealous of the viewers that still had it available. Will this help the ratings for GH go even higher now that Soapnet will genuinely cease to exist, and more viewers will be catching it on ABC?

I record GH on ABC and also record it on Soap in the evening just in case ABC has breaking news or the President has a press conference. That way on case I don’t watch it for a couple of days, I have GH recorded twice so I don’t miss an episode.

Sad. I watch soapnet every day. I’m up early (by 4 a.m.) starting my job and have soapnet on until 9 a.m. I rely on it to watch GH and catch up on what I missed. It was my only enjoyment. I hate talk shows, and there isn’t anything else on and the news is repetative. Why do they keep eliminating the things us soap fans enjoy? With the constant elimination of programming, there isn’t much left that I watch on TV. It would be nice if they actually gave fans what they wanted. Sad.

Much preferred Soapnet over ABC and the innane local interruptions to GH to report on “special bulletins” like snow, traffic, news and the like which could easily wait for commercial time or the end of the show. Alas, will be missing Soapnet (and probably portions of GH as well!)

Soapnet could have worked. Disney just didnt want to continue putting money into that channel. They could have ran classic GH, Days, and Y&R . They could have picked up OLTL and AMC, first run and made it their own. They just chose not to. Now us adults have to pay for another Disney kids show that we dont want or need!

I agree with you, Tim, too bad Disney didn’t want to continue ….it could have really become a classic channel with all these great soaps. I’m with you – our kids sure don’t need another Disney channel!!!!!

I am very sorry that Disney is planning to take Soapnet off the air. Except for General Hospital
and an occasional Masterpiece theatre like Downton Abbey this is all I watch nowadays
What is surprising is they are replacing it with a toddler channel. Toddlers do not have the
money to spend it is our generation that have the spending capacity. I hope that Disney
will revisit this decision since they ended up losing with Katie and the Revolution

I do not watch it as much as I used to after OLTV and AMC where gone, and since I now have DVR service. But when I do not DVR GH that is when I watched it.

Slowly they have taken away shows from this channel so it is a shell of what it use to me. Very sad, I remember interviewing for a job at Disney long ago, and they told me about Soapnet, as it had not started yet. I said what a wonderful idea, and I would love to be apart of a channel like that.

I watch General Hospital and Days through Soapnet most of the time. I will definite lay boycott the advertisers when soap net leaves. Toddlers should be playing, not glued to TV. Enough shows out there for children to watch.

I also enjoy watching Brothers & Sisters on the weekends on SoapNet. I don’t like watching any shows online. I prefer watching shows on the larger TV screen. So when SoapNet goes away, if I miss a show one day, I miss it.

this suxxxxxxx….i have watched 90210 and one tree hill on soap net since it debuted….that is prob one of my fav channels i dont see how they can just stop it for ANOTHER KIDDIE CHANNEL reallllllllllY??? what idiot thought of this brilliant idea, there are way too many kid channels already, kids should be outside playing or reading books not watching more crap with advertisements made just for “THEM” ya right for the parents bank accounts…its all another scam, surprised obama not behind this one as well….just saying……

It is very sad, but, alas, inevitable. Disney has wanted to do it for some time, while some cable operators understandably wanted it to stay. (SOAPnet is one of 2 or 3 expanded cable channels I ever watch, so I will be looking to cut back my cable programming next year). I have enjoyed having classic SOAPS to watch in the late night recently. Have started watching a lot of OLTL in the early mornings, as I had Ryan’s Hope previously at 6am. I guess now I will need to pull out the mountains of VHS tapes I made the past few years, knowing this day was coming, to get my soap fix. Unfortunately TVGN does nothing for me as Charter here does not carry it here, nor do they on Cablevision where my sister lives in CT.

I for one will miss Soapnet. What I don’t understand is why back in April 2011 instead of cancelling amc and oltl what could have been done to save both shows and SoapNet was to make SoapNet
a premium channel and then move amc & oltl to air on SoapNet only. It would have saved so many jobs as I am sure most fans would gladly paid to save those beloved shows and we all would have been spared the Prospect Park debacle . The genre is not dying look at the ratings GH has lately.

all I have to say about this is. Another abc Disney channel to avoid at all costs..Disney already has enough channels. My grandkids watch Sprout.
I do watch Soapnet. But if gone. I will watch something else,. or go back to reading a good book. Have plenty on Kindle Fire .

I watch GH at night and then only thing else I watch is Brothers&Sisters on Saturday nights WHICH I LOVE?
Why can’t they leave well enough alone with the channel?
Disney Jr..oh come on–do we need another kids channel?
And HOPE they find a new place to show GH, Days and other shows that SoapNet had!!

My cable Company offers GH on demand !! So.at least I do have a back-up if the show.is interrupted for some reason. But, I think pulling the plug on Soapnet is a travesty! Soap fans have remained loyal for years !!!!!

I think that are soap net need
S to stay on the air for good if you agree to let Disney have their own channel not soap net belongsto US it does not belong with them if you want US as your soap opera fans you better wise up I am a very concerned fan I am not rude I just think that are shows day time and night time shows as wellies you can do a favor for US to put some of the other soap operas back on like Ryan’s hope passions sun set beach loving dynasty Dallas and knotslanding and the old port Charles and night shift as gh and the oltl and amc where we left off them want would president Obama would say about this he gave theses jobs for are soap opera soap net and you are a ware of this and Obama would a agree with US

Are fans need soap net all around the globe and the Washington area as well soap net is very important to US so if you agree give US are shows it is not fair for Disney to take them a way from US let Disney go to a other channel and never switch are channel ever again Disney Jr you are not going to do this you have your own channel leave are soap net alone don’t ever ever do this Obama would indefinitely would agree with US our higher people well also would agree with US

DAYS Preview – Week of May 21, 2018

May 20, 2018

Next week on Days of our Lives, Brady (Eric Martsolf) is in for quite the surprise when Theresa (Jen Lilley) shows up and turns his world upside down again. What will happen when Theresa discovers that Brady and her sister, Eve (Kassie DePaiva) are engaged?Meanwhile, Sonny (Freddie Smith) is in for surprise also, when he realizes Leo (Greg Rikaart) is going to turn the tables on him, after their steamy passionate kiss. And, Will (Chandler Massey) find a new clue in Dr. Rolf’s diary, as Kate (Lauren Koslow) learns her fate in Vivian’s death.

Check out these teasers from upcoming episodes of DAYS below, and then watch the latest promo from NBC. Tell us what storyline has piqued your interest the most via the comment section below.

Monday, May 21

Stefan threatens Abigail with Chad’s freedom.

Tuesday, May 22

Lani has a scare concerning her unborn baby.

Wednesday, May 24

Sonny’s world is turned upside down when he receives stunning news.

Thursday, May 23

Xander taunts Jennifer about her relationship with Eric.

Friday, May 25

Gabi learns a judge has overturned her conviction… but a new problem arises.

RATINGS: DAYS Overtakes GH And Takes The Number Three Spot!

May 19, 2018

Following their triple-crown victory of winning Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, Writing Team in a Drama Series, and Directing Team honors at the 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, Days of our Lives continued their upswing when the recent ratings were released this week.

For the week ending April 30th through May 4th, DAYS moved past General Hospital as the third most-watched soap opera. Considering DAYS has been in the fourth position of all four soaps for the last several years, this is definitely worth noting.. DAYS came in with 2,301,000 average total viewers for the ratings week, while GH had 2, 288,000. In addition, GH tied an all-time low in the womens 18-34 ratings share.

As for The Young and the Restless, they also lost the most viewers for the week with -174,00, while coming in at 4,089,000 total viewers. Even though they remain at number one and are far ahead of the other three soaps, it seems the show, which in the past has hovered around 4.5 million a week, is down. In addition, the ratings reflected that B&B is now tied with Y&R for the number one show in the womens demo 18-34, and Y&R has tied some lows in total households, and the women 18-49 ratings share.

The Bold and the Beautiful remains second of the soaps with 3,227,00 viewers, but is down over 100,000 total viewers from last year at this time. View the entire ratings picture via SON here. (more…)

Kyle Lowder Returns To DAYS: But What Role Is He Playing?

Kyle Lowder, who started his soap career on Days of our Lives as Brady Black from 2000-2005, has returned to the NBC Daytime Emmy Award-winning drama series.

Most recently, Lowder co-executive produced and starred in the digital drama adaption of DAYS EP Ken Corday’s novel, Ladies of the Lake, which is set to premiere its second season in June.

Now that Lowder is back on DAYS, the question remains under the creative pen of head writer, Ron Carlivati, who will he be playing given that Eric Martsolf is currently Brady Black and is not exiting the series?

Kyle took to social media sharing a video message on his arrival back in Salem expressing: “BEYOND excited to be rejoining my Days of our Lives family. See y’all soon!” SOD first reported the casting news. (more…)

Video du Jour

The GH Nurses Ball 2018 concludes this week. After all the performances, and all the drama, what will be the repercussions felt long after the last performance? Watch the latest promo and then let us know, how you think it will end!Leave A Comment

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